BOULDER, CO--Feb. 28, 2014: Wireless charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs)
offer several advantages over conventional plug-in technology, foremost
among them unparalleled convenience for EV owners. Until recently, these
systems were in the R&D and pilot stages only, but now products have begun
to reach the market, and several major EV manufacturers have plans to offer
models with wireless charging capability in the 2015-2016 timeframe. Click
to tweet: According to a new report from Navigant Research, worldwide sales
of wireless EV charging systems will grow from a few hundred in 2014 to
nearly 302,000 by 2022.

“Features once considered luxury items, such as power windows and
automatic garage door openers, tend to spread, over time, across all
vehicle segments – and that is likely to apply to wireless charging,
as well.”

“Although some in the industry remain unconvinced that wireless
charging will ever be more than a small niche market, it’s clear that
major automakers have concluded that this technology could be a
differentiator in a crowded EV market,” says Richard Martin,
editorial director with Navigant Research. “Features once considered
luxury items, such as power windows and automatic garage door openers, tend
to spread, over time, across all vehicle segments – and that is
likely to apply to wireless charging, as well.”

Several developments in 2013 signaled the beginning of a new phase in
this emerging market, according to the report. Bosch announced a sales and
distribution agreement with Evatran, maker of the Plugless Power system,
with products scheduled to reach the market in the first quarter of 2014.
Also, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) said that its Wireless
Power Transfer Task Force for vehicles has agreed on a standard frequency
for wireless EV charging, reducing the possibility of a standards battle
among competing vendors.

The report, “Wireless Charging Systems for Electric
Vehicles,” analyzes the fledgling market for wireless charging
systems for EVs. It examines the technology of wireless EV charging and the
efforts of technology developers, working in partnership with automakers,
to bring systems to market. Global market forecasts for sales of wireless
EV charging systems, segmented by region, extend through 2022. The report
also looks at the demand drivers and market barriers associated with
wireless EV charging, along with the efforts of automakers to incorporate
wireless charging capability into their EV models. An Executive Summary of
the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research
website.